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Saturday, April 17, 2010

Went to Aldi!

This past week I was sick as a dog at home chanced playing hookie and acted like a stay at home mom for a day. I got in a little Regis & Kelly followed by Wendy Williams then it was off to run errands.

I feel like I successfully completed my first little woman duty by driving to another city to get the exact pair of pants JAG needed. BIG cheesy smile as I pat myself on the back. I love being needed like that.

Anyway, while I was out I decided to try out Aldi. Have you heard of them? It is a new grocery story in our area.

Couple things you should know before you even walk in the door: Have a quarter and bring your bags. In order to get a shopping cart you must deposit a quarter into the cart so that it will release. The sign above the cart says they do this so that the cart will be returned after you are finished (and you get your quarter back). Then bring your reusable bags because just like Ikea, Aldi is charging for bags. They charge ten cents for plastic and six cents for paper. I bought paper because JAG reuses them.

The store itself is very small (wish I would have thought to take pictures). It reminded me of the Piggly Wiggly that I used to shop in as a child. There were no tall shelves and you can see all the way across the store from the front door. Aldi is known for “Keep it Simple and Save.” This is true. The store is very simple and they do not offer a variety…they carry one brand of each item. My mother would die because there is no Green Giant or Pillsbury. The store is mainly filled with non-brand name items (which my mother refuses to buy no matter how much money she would save).

I picked up a few things that I already needed and were on my Kroger list. I have yet to really price compare, but some of their pricing (especially on produce) was good, here is a sampling:

12 grain bread: $1.69

Shells & Cheese: $1.29

Strawberries: $.99

Red Delicious Apples (a bag full): $2.49

Gallon of Milk: $1.79

I got all of this for $31.47.

Now I was cheated out of 12 cents…I was charged for six bags when I got four, but oh well. In all this is a perfect store if you need to run in a get a loaf of bread, but if you are looking for specific items I suggest Kroger (I love that store).

I also stopped by PayLess to take advantage of the BOGO (buy one get one half off sale) and I picked up some new shoes!

I also recently visited Aldi. Was a bit taken back by the cart for a quarter deal and the fact that you buy your own bags. The quality was fine, but we drink Diet Cherry Dr Pepper and they had no brand name drinks! So I still had to make a trip to the store to get drinks. I wasn't impressed with their selection of meat either. In all, if you don't mind shopping at different stores for good deals, name brands and variety, it's ok. I like my one stop Wal-Mart!